Broad antitrust probe looming for Google, U.S. sources say

[Shwa]

From the Star:

Broad antitrust probe looming for Google, U.S. sources say

WASHINGTON — The Federal Trade Commission is considering a broad antitrust investigation into Google Inc.’s dominance of the Internet-search industry, two people familiar with the matter said.

Before proceeding with any probe, the FTC is awaiting a decision by the Justice Department on whether it will challenge Google’s planned acquisition of ITA Software as a threat to competition in the travel-information search business, said the people, who spoke on condition of anonymity because the matter is still confidential.

An FTC investigation of Google, the world’s most popular search engine, “could be on par” with the scope of the Justice Department’s probe of Microsoft a decade ago, said Keith Hylton, an antitrust law professor at Boston University School of Law. Google “could fight the FTC, but that’s going to cost a lot of money and time.”

Of course poor Microsoft could be behind this, and justifiably so, since BING blows.

As for Google, the search giant says competition should rule the day.

If consumers don’t like what the company is doing, they can switch to another search engine, said Adam Kovacevich, a Google spokesman.

“Since competition is one click away on the Internet, we work hard to put our users’ interests first and give them the best, most relevant answers to their queries,” he said in an e- mail. “We built Google for users, not websites.”

Sure. I wonder if Larry Page and Sergey Brin are working on a movie deal like 'The Social Network?' No doubt they will call it 'The Google Guys.'

[Oleg Bach]

Google like Microsoft got to big for it's own and our good. Remember when they devided the powers of Microsoft? Once a corporation that is comprised of unelected senior staffers - They begin to compete with democratically elected persons. I don't even know who runs Google - or if they are even good people of good intent. Much like the rebels being supported in the mid eastern hot spots..We really don't know who they are.

[Oleg Bach]

From the Star:

Broad antitrust probe looming for Google, U.S. sources say

Of course poor Microsoft could be behind this, and justifiably so, since BING blows.

Sure. I wonder if Larry Page and Sergey Brin are working on a movie deal like 'The Social Network?' No doubt they will call it 'The Google Guys.'

Heard a guy speak who said - and to para phrase "once you place part of your brain outside the phyiscal body...and need to use google for everything -then what is left behind is a more stupid person" - Google should not replace a good and informed mind. I say burn them - and while we are at it - toss in a Koran or two.

[M.Dancer]

So I use Google chrome....it asked me if I wanted a default search engine....offering other choices than google...I predict this will go nowhere

[dre]

So I use Google chrome....it asked me if I wanted a default search engine....offering other choices than google...I predict this will go nowhere

Im curious about google itself, and any logic it has inside its search engine that it might use to drive business to itself.

[guyser]

So the FTC was worried about Google ?

Let me guess, the bigwigs sat around and said we should go after Google...

"What for? Do we know if there are precedents for this?"

"I dunno.....Google it and see? "

[dre]

Im curious about google itself, and any logic it has inside its search engine that it might use to drive business to itself.

Interestingly enough if you google "search engine" on google, it lists BING, YAHOO, ALTAVISTA, ahead of itself in its own listings. Google itself comes up about 20th.

If it had specific hooks in its algorithm to rank its own businesses ahead of competitors on the search engine that would be the kind of thing they could get in trouble for.

[M.Dancer]

Im curious about google itself, and any logic it has inside its search engine that it might use to drive business to itself.

You mean a business, doing a search on google...would be offered a link to.....Google?

Google may sell other things...but their main product is advertising

[dre]

You mean a business, doing a search on google...would be offered a link to.....Google?

Google may sell other things...but their main product is advertising

No I mean google overriding its pagerank algorith to rank its own businesses ahead of their competitors in its main search results.

[Oleg Bach]

So I use Google chrome....it asked me if I wanted a default search engine....offering other choices than google...I predict this will go nowhere

Google should give you a choice ---- what is true and what you want to hear.

[M.Dancer]

No I mean google overriding its pagerank algorith to rank its own businesses ahead of their competitors in its main search results.

I did three searches for online advertising, internet advertising a web advertising....google never topped 3rd...which is surprising given they are the largest online advertiser

[dre]

I did three searches for online advertising, internet advertising a web advertising....google never topped 3rd...which is surprising given they are the largest online advertiser

Yeah I looked for some obvious stuff too, and in each case I thought they ranked LOWER than it seemed like they should. Still! It has to be extremely tempting for them to screw with those results!

[M.Dancer]

Yeah I looked for some obvious stuff too, and in each case I thought they ranked LOWER than it seemed like they should. Still! It has to be extremely tempting for them to screw with those results!

Still...it is their site.

[dre]

Still...it is their site.

Right but windows was microsofts OS too, and the courts ruled they could not use it to gain an advantage over their competitors in other areas... or at least it ruled that there was limits on what they could do.

[M.Dancer]

Right but windows was microsofts OS too, and the courts ruled they could not use it to gain an advantage over their competitors in other areas... or at least it ruled that there was limits on what they could do.

That is because they were forcing PC makers to carry the full suite of Microsoft products if they wanted to have windows...which effectively killed wordperfect and hobbled Lotus and other software marketers...completely different ball of wax.

[dre]

That is because they were forcing PC makers to carry the full suite of Microsoft products if they wanted to have windows...which effectively killed wordperfect and hobbled Lotus and other software marketers...completely different ball of wax.

Not really. One of the things the judge ruled is that microsoft stifled competition by making it easier for users to run internet explorer than netscape, and they were ordered to produce a version of windows that didnt have IE installed. The key finding was that MS was using the popularity of Windows to create an unfair advantage for its other software offerings. Efforts by google to manipulate search results to stifle competition would almost certainly be ruled as an anti trust violation. Since they have such a stranglehold on the SE market, they could virtually make a competitor dissappear from the internet, or drastically reduce their prominence on the web. Im not saying they are doing this, Im just saying that it would definately be tempting for them, and if they have to produce their source code during discovery you might find some interesting stuff in there.

[Oleg Bach]

Seeing I am a simpleton...all I understand about trust and anti-trust is what I learned watching buisness in Canada - YOU cannot set up a trust company for instance - If you are dishonourable and can not be trusted - simple as that. NOR can you weild power and influence unless there is honour..Look what happened the bankiing system in America - trust and honour were tossed out the window...and the system committed a type of suicide - where all suffered because of this greed and stupidity.

The reason our banks are stable is because we have honourable over seers....that we can trust. The Americans lost sight of this neccesity.